Human Resource Development and Organisational Change - Essay Example

Human Resource Development and Organisational Change Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Change is a very important aspect in any organization. Perhaps this is because of its contribution to the overall productivity and performance of the business. Change in many organizations is always seen as an initiative to help the business meet the expectations of various customers and also ensure sustainability into the future by adapting to the ever dynamic environment. Change for many years has remained a central concept in Human Resource Management. Change in HRD is considered to have emerged from two main basic directions namely: Individual change as well as organizational change (Rainier 2003). This is to demonstrate that the aspects of change are depended on each other and not that change can be talked of to be taking place in an organization if the two areas are not considered. This is to mean that once the organization imagines of taking a certain direction of doing business, it must consider the role of HRD in the process. This is because certain skills, competencies and experiences are very vital to making change a reality and a positive to the business (Tessema & Soeters 2006). In other words, organizational change starts with changing an individual who will then contribute to changing the organization. Change therefore embraces individual development before contributing to organizational change. The role of this essay is to critically evaluate and argue on various areas related to HRD and Organisational change. Definition of key terms Organisational change Organisational change takes place when the major areas of operations and strategies of a business in major sections or in the organization as a whole are altered with a particular objective. Change in an organization can also be termed as the process of reorganization, restructuring or even turnaround (Datta et al 2003). Human resource development Human resource development is that part of Human Resource Management which specifically deals with the process of training and developing employees. HRD entails training of an individual both during hiring and while at work, providing different learning opportunities to develop certain skills, supplying resources that are considered beneficial to the employees in performing different tasks and other related development activities (Mohanty 2009). Human resource development and organizational change With the tremendous changes that are being witnessed globally and more especially in the business sector, it is becoming absolutely very necessary for different companies that have a global touch to consider employing different strategies so as to be able to compete favorably. This is because competition has continued to stiffen, technology continued to advance and also the exercise of power from the business owners continued to dominate (Datta et al 2003). HRD development in this case therefore is considered as one important strategy that can be used to ensure that an organization is on the right track in implementing its different strategies. Let’s consider such companies as Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Xerox and many more. One important characteristic about these companies is that they are all operating globally and they are subject to competition and other forces like technology that have continued to impact on different sectors. For instance, Xerox has embraced the role of diversity management in an organization as one way of ensuring that accommodating different employees irrespective of their background. This is done by the process of internal learning and training programmes by the company that are put in place to ensure that each and every employee has the right skills and experience to perform his duties. Human resource development (HRD), in the process of trying to pursue improvement in performance and also enhance capacity in service delivery in different organizations, some challenges are very likely especially in terms of skill and experience shortage. In the contemporary economy which has continued to advance technologically and even going digital, the process of empowering and enhancing human effort has continued to take very different dimensions. No doubt, it is becoming increasingly necessary for the employees to remain upto date in their duties while being provided the best by their employers in order to improve the quality of their lives. In the ever changing working business and working environment, organizational change is inevitable. For instance the advance in technology that has eased the process communicating and moving of goods and services and labor across borders is what has contributed to the need to have change. This is important for any organization that needs to be best placed in the market and can stand the test of the day when customers are increasingly becoming aware of their rights and what they expect the market to have. While it can be recognized that change is very necessary and that skills are available, there is a gap between having the right skills that are required to introduce the kind of change that will be able to deliver on the expectations of different stakeholders (Mohanty 2009) . It is at this point therefore, where HRD tends to connects with organizational development. HRD here is used in ensuring that the employees are given trained and given the right skills and resources to perform different tasks. The need to have employee training is necessitated by the fact that certain skills like application of new technology to carry out different tasks is very necessary. This is a very important process as it enables the organization to increase its efficiency and output. HRD perspectives For HRD to meet its new role and a way of thinking that is required in bringing about the required organizational change, different perspectives have to be embraced and they include identification of what is important for life and work, focusing on imaginative and creative leadership, enhancing constancy in the process of valuing human beings. Identifying what is important between one life and work One major conflicting force in ensuring that appropriate organizational change is taking place is the demanding pressures that it’s likely to bring about among different individuals. For example while change in an organization is expected to be considered as one of the luxurious and most enjoyable activities in an organization can ever witness, in many occasions, it is considered as one of the most demanding, stressful and very busy exercise (Mohanty 2009). At this point, HRD benefits cannot be underlet as it helps in tailoring and packaging the process in such away that it different needs of the customers and also the expectations of the employer. This is particularly important in ensuring that the employees are prepared in such a way to come into terms with what is happening and what is expected of them. For example, while trying to embrace organizational change, an organization must seek ways of ensuring that its employees are comfortable to participate in the process (Chu 2002). For this to be achieved there is need to prepare the employees so as to be aware of what is expected of them and how in particular, the organization is planning to provide the necessary support in terms of training, learning, skills development and also availing of different resources that are required to make their work easy. This kind of outcome can be achieved if the organization and more particularly the strategic planners are able to articulate to the people to help them understand how their lives are likely to be affected and how their life is likely to become easy if they changed their habits from the rest and embraced new ones that are inventive and developmental (Summers and Hyman 2005) However, to achieve this, some elements like tolerance, teamwork and adaptability need to be embraced and must all develop through learning as a very important area in HRD. Focusing on imaginative and creative leadership While change is a very important in any organization and something that can be considered as a “re-born”, it still remains a big challenge for many of the organizations that engage in change to establish and maintain the required leadership. However, this should not be a scare for many of the organizations as now there is HRD which provides a clear framework on how an organization can go about different challenges. Leadership is particularly required to lift the process of implementing organizational change. However, to some extent, this could not easily be achieved if there is no competence among the leadership (Allan & Timo 2000). Many of the companies that have managed to excel in the market in delivering excellent services and products, creativity and innovation in leadership has remained top of their priority. Examples include Apple Inc., Microsoft and many more. These companies have encouraged individuals to come up with ideas on different products and services that could be able to suit market expectations. It is from this angle that HRD is becoming a very important discipline in helping shape the situation. This is because with HRD, appropriate training programme can be developed that could assist individuals understand the importance of becoming creative in leadership alongside increasing human energy as well as expanding intellectual capital. While some scholars like Chu (2002), Mohanty (2009) and Rainier (2003) argue that is approach is an important one addressing leadership issues in organizational change, caution has to be taken into account especially when it comes into matters related to time management. This is because individuals can easily engage their minds in some of the ideas that may not be beneficial and that can easily be dropped in the process. Promoting constancy in valuing lives of human beings Employees in organizational change, play a very significant role. Despite this, many companies have not managed to fully realize the potential of their employees. Perhaps this because of the position the respective management are likely to take something that at some point degrades human value and hence their performance. This is one area in organizational change that leadership is expected to take a very strong role in shaping the life should be handled and work done. However, if not well handled leadership may disappear. In order to avoid this kind of scenario, HRD must play a very different role in this case (Black et al 2002). This is because HRD is expected to change the perception on how individuals should be seeing the process of input-output. This is because in a situation where an organization plays more emphasis human value is likely to be devalued and their future put on uncertainty. It is therefore important while undertaking organizational change to consider how the process will impact on better life of individuals and their future (Collins et al 2005). In some occasions, people’s contribution is always exploited for the benefit of the company. In this case, people’s lives are devalued and demeaned. In the most modern fashion, this should not be the case. Effort is expected to be put in, to remove any an outdated behaviours that are no longer helpful and can result into negative exploitation of labor (Chu 2002). It is with this regard that HRD is considered a very important tool in ensuring that various strengths and capabilities are developed. Further, HRD is used in ensuring that a comfortable environment is established where employee security is maintained and focused on attaining certain outcomes. This is important in doing away with such issues as inertia and inflexibility as well as ignorance. The life of an organization can be equated to the life that has created from a seed and then planted. However, for it to grow as a healthy plant, it needs to re-organize and adapt to the environment for its survival. However, important to note is that the capacity to success is depended on the capacity that has been built in people in order to be able to adapt to a number of situations and contexts (Mohanty 2009). This outcome is only achievable in a situation where HRD is recognized and given priority. This is because employees will be taken through training that will help them develop important skills that can help adapt and have a stable relationship with their respective employers. Application of HRD For one to understand how organizational change works, he must first understand on how organizations function. Organisations normally struggle to be productive as possible and also make maximum use of its capital to give reasonably good output. In order to achieve this, different organizations as well as companies employ different strategies to attain this goal. Profit-making organizations in most instances are the most affected with this situation (Datta et al 2003). For example to struggle and ensure that profits are realized, profit-making organizations, are the busiest and this because they always want to outdo their competitors in the market and win themselves relatively large market share and hence more revenues for the business (Rainier 2003). However, to ensure that is perfectly executed, organizations are expected to employ different strategic methodologies. Important point to note is that strategizing among different organizations is a dynamic and ever continuous process (Chu 2002). This is to mean that organizations are also growing and expanding and therefore their capacities should be assessed to determine their capabilities in serving the market demands. Some of the important strategies to achieve this very important organizational change include hiring new staff, reducing the number of staff and partnering with organizations. However, what is not talked of in this case is how internal capabilities can be developed to meet organizational changes without necessarily reducing or increasing the staff. Here, HRD bears the solution and it’s about identifying available talents, capabilities and skills and try to enhance them through training. This will go a long way in helping an organization to attain its change expectations without necessarily retiring some of its employees (Black et al 2002). Conclusion Human resource development (HRD) is a very important aspect in organization. Based on the analysis of different literature, it can be noted that with HRD, organizations can comfortably engage in organizational change and address other issues like employee skills, competencies and talents that are all important in enhancing performance and productivity as well as efficiency. This is because, HRD places more emphasis on the need to try and do things in a different fashion without necessary exploiting the employees. In general, in a dynamic environment where organizations are expected to change continuously, HRD could be used as a tool for training and shaping individuals to fit in different contexts. References Allan, C. & Timo, N. (2000). Globalization and the Organization of the work. University of Wollongong Press. Black, J. and Hal, B. (2002). Gregersen. Leading Strategic Change. New Jersey: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Chu, R. (2002). Stated-importance versus derived-importance customer satisfaction measurement, Journal of Services Marketing, 16, p. 285–302. Collins C, Ericksen J. & Allen, M. (2005). ‘Human Resource management Practices and firm performance in small business’. Cornell University/gevity Institute. Datt,a K., Guthrie, J. & Wright, P. (2003). ‘HRM and Firm productivity: Does industry matter’. Presented in National Academy of Management Meetings, WA. Guest, D. (2002). ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee wellbeing: Building the worker into HRM’. The Journal of Industrial Relations, 44(3), p. 335-358. Mohanty, J. (2009). Retention depicts the Health of the Organization. Cambodian Manage. J. 1(2), 16-67. Rainier, R. (2003). “Human Resource Development in State Bank of India”. The Business Review, Vol 10. Summers, J. and Hyman, J. (2005). ‘Employee Participation and Company Performance’. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Tessema, M. & Soeters, J. (2006). Challenges and prospects of HRM in developing countries: testing the HRM-performance link in Eritrean civil service, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(1), p. 86-105. Read More